Internal-combustion engine.



A. BRUEHNE.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-6.1916.

Patented July 3, 1917.

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1 oil is preferably mounted ANDREW IBItUIE CEINIEI, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed September 6, 1916. Serial No. 118,755.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW BRUEHNE, a citizenof the United States, residing at the city. and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion. engines.

While its principal functions may obviously be employed in other analogous relations, for the purpose of simplicity of disclosure, I 'will illustrate and describe my invention with reference to the well known class of oil engines of the forced oil supply internal vaporizing type, to which it is peculiarly applicable.

To more fully disclose the details thereof, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which drawings, the single view illustrates a horizontal type of engine, embodying my improvements, in vertical longitudinal section.

In practical application, where desired, it will be understood that the elements comrising my improvements may be suitably duplicated or coupled up to provide an engine of multiple efl'ect, but the principle involved being the same, I have only illustrated an engine of the single unit type.

1 designates the engine base, 2 the crank case, and 3 the cylinder, having a water jacket space 4, communicating with inlet and outlet pipes 5 and 6, for the circulation of the cooling water.

The outer cylinder head 7 may be provided, as shown, with the hollow nipple ele ment 8, functioning as a combined vaporizer and igniter, after being initially heated, by a flame torch, through an opening 9 in a suitable inclosing cap.

Where the oil is directly injected into this vaporizer chamber 8, instead of into the combustion chamber of the engine as is sometimes done, the injecting nozzle for the in the c linder head, as conventionally shown at 10, t e' nozzle being connected, through a. pipe line 11, to the, source of oil supply and forced feed arrangement. These features, being well understood and separately classified as forming no part of the engine construction proper, have not been illustrated, it being understood that the oil is injected through the nozzle 10, in proper amount and at regulated intervals, during any suitable period of the piston stroke.

12 is a suitable cup shaped piston, provided with the usual rings 13, and connected. by its piston rod 14, through a cross-head element 15, with the connecting rod 16 of the crank 17, on the shaft 18 of which is mountt ed the usual fly wheel or wheels 19.

As thus far stated, no generally new individual principles are involved, but as will more fully hereinafter appear, the crosshead guide casing 20 and the crank casing are completely out off from communication with the engine cylinder, and as there will never be compression in the crank case, the same may be provided With a closure 21 which is readily removable for any obvious pprpose. 22 simply designates a drainage p ug.

In further carrying out my invention, I provide a compressed air source, cooperating with the piston, to blow out the exploded charge of burnt gases and products of combustion, and also to furnish a novel method of introducing a charge of clean, compressed air, moist or otherwise, in front of the hollow piston, and into association with a proper charge of fresh vaporized oil.

In the simplified arrangement shown, this is done by the novel construction of providing a compressed air chamber 23 between the cy inder and the cross head casing, a centrally perforated head plate 24, provided with a stuflingv box or gland 25 for the piston rod 14, forming a closure between the cross-head casing and the cylinder of the engine.

The cylinder 3 is provided with an exhaust port 26 and outlet pipe 27 for the exhaust gases, and an inlet pipe 28 and inlet port 29 leading into the cylinder behind the hollow piston, for conducting fresh air into the compression space formed by the compression chamber 23 and the interior of the cup piston.

A compressed air port 30 also extends from the compression chamber 23 to the in the exhaust port 26.

In practice, I have found it sometimes exterior of the cylinder, opening therein, prefa erably, at a position slightly to the rear of s i -V pedient to employ a water compartment in association with the compressed air chamber for the purpose of partially washing the fresh air and cause the same to take, up a certain amount of moisture during its compression, so that this moisture, when the compressed air is delivered to the cylinder, is generated into super-heated steam in the cylinder, it being somewhat of an advantage and desirable to inject a small jet of water, or its equivalent, into theworking cylinder, as is quite customarily done. The provision of the water compartment has another important function of enabling the degree of compression of the air to be controlled, which will be later referred to.

When this feature is employed, and as shown, I provide a suitable closed tank 31, having any suitable inlet and outlet, conventionally indicated at 37 and 38 respectively, and a hand hole closure 32, A. Water gage is not shown, although one may mani festly be used.

Communication is formed between this tank 31 and the air compression chamber 23, by means of an opening 33, but where this special arrangement of water tank is not employed, the opening 33, of course, does not exist, and a by-pass connection 34, controlled by a valve 35, may be used, to conduct small periodic charges of water from the water "jacket' i to the port 30 at the position of its opening into the cylinder, and the com pressed air rushing through the open port, having an aspiratory action to draw a small quantity of water through the connection 34.

From the foregoing complete disclosure, it is thought that the operation of my invention will be fairly apparent, but it might be said that, operating in a two-stroke cycle and the piston being at the end of its power stroke, any air behind the piston is compressed to the volume of the hollow piston, compression chamber 23, and tank 31, the degree of compression being also variably regulated and controlled by the quantity of water in the tank. lhis would also be true,

to an extent, as to the degree of moisture.

The ports 26 and 30 being now open, compressed air rushes to the combustion chamber 36, of the cylinder, positively blowing out all of the remaining spent gases, not already exhausted through the port 26.

As the piston returns to the position shown in the drawings, the compressed air port is shut off and the exhaust about to be closed, but the combustion chamber has now a supply of fresh moist air in a partially compressed state, the moisture becoming as superheated steam, and during the continued return stroke, this charge of air combines with a properly timed injection, of oil through the nozzle 10, immediately vaporized in the element 8. During this period, a forward suctional force is created behind the hollow piston, tending to form a partial vacuum, until, near the end of the forward or return stroke, the piston uncovers the opening of the port 29, when fresh air is sucked in behind the piston with a great rush.

At this approximate position, the now thoroughly carbureted mixture in front of the piston, having been raised to the highest point of combustion by the purity of the mixture and its complete compression, is fired by the intensely heated ignition nipple t8), forming the wall of the vaporizing cham- Upon the poweror workstroke, as the piston moves rearwardly, the indrawn fresh air is manifestly compressed as initially stated, until the port openings 26 and 30 are uncovered, when the cycle of operations will be repeated. If the valve 35 is open aspiratory action of the incoming compressed air will suck in a small jet of water through the connection 34 as before stated.

It is also understood that the highest and most advantageous point of combustion is acquired by proper mixture of the vaporized oil and air at a proper degree of compression, and free from incombustible impurities. In my engine, it is believed that this is attained in the maximum degree by the thorough scavenging of the burnt gases, the non-intercommunication of the crank case and the cylinder, and the system of introducing clean and fresh compressed air for the mixture;

Dependent upon the conditions under which the engine may be operating, such as locality, weather, heat and cold, etc., the degree of compression of the air, before entry into the cylinder, and the absorption of moisture dependent thereon, may be simply and correctly adjusted, by increasing or diminishing the amount of water in the tank 31, by means of the inlet and outlet water connections 37 and 38, as desired, thus varying the volume of the compression space, and hence the force and quantity of the delivered compressed air, both for scavenging and mixing purposes. This water, tank feature also provides for a more or less elastic or enpansive field to preventtoo great a cushioning efl'ect against the power or working stroke of the piston.

Although I have described the invention in detail as illustrated, it will be manifest that changes might be made in structural detail and arrangement, and within the purview of the doctrine of a fair range of equiv.- alents, without departing from the spirit of the invention or avoiding the vital principles thereof, and I do not, therefore, limit myself, excepting as construed by the scope of the ensuing claim.

What I claim as new and patentable, is

In an explosive engine, the combination of a cylinder closed at one end andopen at-the other; an operating piston dividing said cyland inder into a forward combustion chamber a separate rear pure air chamber terminating in a pure air compression space; a tank in open communication with said pure air compression space, but otherwise closed and forming with said pure air compression space an enlarged pure air compression chamber, and said tank containing a varlable quantity of liquid pression volume; a Iuel inlet, ignition means and an exhaust port for said combustion regulating its com- 

